Tinajo Mayor under fire over domestic violence comments

Tinajo Mayor Jesús Machín has caused a storm of criticism after comments suggesting that he instructed police to accommodate men accused of domestic violence in hotels to prevent their arrest.

During a council meeting on Friday, Machín said“When there is an instance of gender violence, the police call me and say: Suso, we have a problem. Either this man leaves the woman alone or he has to be arrested. There are children involved.” I tell them, as I have on other occasions, to go to the hotel. Some people have one night, others have four. Until a solution is found”.

The comments were condemned as an “outrage” by Socialist councillor Begoña Goméz, who added “Using public money to put an aggressor in a hotel is a sign of institutional complicity with gender violence”. Machín’s comments soon received national attention in the Spanish media

Machín, who is the longest-serving Mayor on Lanzarote, yesterday issued a public apology claiming that he “had not expressed himself clearly” and claiming that it was victims who had been placed in hotels.  “It is completely false that the aggressors have been housed. If you doubt it check with the police themselves, have ensured the protection of the victims who at all times,” he said.

PP member Carmen Camiñas responded that “It is clear that the explanations offered four days later are insufficient until all the documentation relating to this issue is provided.” Meanwhile, Candelaria Delgado, the welfare minister of the Canarian Government and Machín’s colleague in the Coalicion Canaria, said “Every word counts and public officials must be absolutely clear in their message.”